Work Towards Becoming a Nutrition & Health Expert

This study program will offer a competitive edge to people wanting to work in the field of Nutrition or who want to add another layer to existing knowledge. The mix of skills learnt in this course would be valuable for persons working in a range of industries including food blogging, marketing, processing, provision, service, research, advice, and more.

With further study it may be a stepping stone toward a career as a medical or hospital nutritionist.

Work in the Food and Nutrition Industry

This course provides a pathway to develop and share your passion for healthy eating. It's designed to give you a framework to develop or advance your career in areas that might include:

Nutrition consultations

Food writing, blogging, reviewing, presenting

Food service

Food production

Food marketing

.... within industries such as complimentary medicine, allied health and other food & nutrition related enterprises.

Course Structure

Some of the modules either included in the course, or which you can choose from include:

There are nine lessons in this course, each requiring about 10 hours work by the student. Emphasis is placed on understanding the body, the food we eat and it's affects, our mental, emotional health (state of mind), and physical health.

There are five lessons in this module as follows:
1. Determining research priorities.
2. Planning research improvement
3. Testing the viability of alternative approaches
4. Conducting detailed research into commercial work procedures
5. Developing an improved approach to a workplace procedure

A major research project undertaken at the end of this course will involve at least half of the total duration.

Human Nutrition in Food Service Industries - This covers all the major food groups and their importance in a nutritional diet. Also including factors in nutrition from compatibility and range of ingredients through to healthy cooking and eating methods.

Cooking - Includes various cooking methods for a variety of different foods, covering both palatability and digestibility through to the nutritional value in processing foods.

Kitchen & Food Management - Learn to maximise efficiency and service through proper management of kitchen facilities, including the handling of food storage and preparation, hygiene and ethics.

Planning A Menu - Covering menu planning for the needs of special groups in different situations, including children; adolescents; elderly people; expectant and nursing mothers; immigrants; vegetarians and other health related diets.

Alcoholic Beverages - Learn how to provide adequate variety and product knowledge in order to manage the provisions of alcoholic beverages appropriately for different situations.

Tea, Coffee and Non-Alcoholic Beverages - This lesson provides an understanding of non-alcoholic beverages available in the catering industry and how they should be made and served.

Scope & Nature Of Catering Services - Learn to understand the differences in appropriate management and catering for a variety of situations from pubs to a-la-carte.

Personnel Management -(waiting skills, staffing a restaurant, kitchen etc) This lesson covers the management of people in the food and restaurant industry, including training programs, job specifications, recruitment etc.

Management Of Catering Services - By consolidating the skills developed throughout this course you are given a comprehensive understanding of marketing through to food purchasing in order to effectively manage in the food and beverage industry.

Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Nutrition & Health Management is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

Understanding Food Allergies and Intolerance

Common foods which some people have problems with mostly include proteins: wheat, sugar, chocolate, seafood, soy, eggs, dairy and peanuts. Chemicals in foods, such as preservatives and colourings, may also cause intolerance or allergic reactions. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an example of an allergen food chemical. Food intolerance and allergies may manifest with “mild” and often chronic symptoms, like poor digestion, belly bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sinus, asthma, headaches and migraines, woolly head, irritability, depression and behaviour changes. They can also manifest in more sudden and dramatic symptoms, like diarrhoea, nausea, or anaphylactic shock that can require hospitalization and if untreated, or not treated promptly can result in death. It is important to note that some allergies to foods can be so severe that separate cooking utensils and pots must be used – an example being nut allergies.

Food Intolerance

This is the most common reaction to food. It is an adverse reaction to a food or component of food that does not involve the immune system. In some cases it is due to the body not being able to properly digest a proportion of the food because it lacks the right enzyme, like in dairy intolerance. In this case, the result is usually diarrhoea or nausea because the person lacks the enzyme in the bowel that digests lactose, the sugar found in dairy products. Many people manifest only mild symptoms throughout their lives, without realizing or connecting those symptoms with the foods they consume. In the long term impaired digestion can lead to chronic malnutrition that end up showing as chronic conditions or contributing significantly to them.

Allergies

Allergies (food hypersensitivity) involve an adverse immune response to a food. Allergens found in food are often proteins, and can stimulate the body to produce antibodies specific to that food. If an individual who has inherited a specific food allergy is first exposed to that food, their immune system produces IgE (immunoglobulin) antibodies. The antibodies reside in white blood cells and mast cells in the body, particularly in the skin, the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract, i.e. the parts of the body that come into contact with the air and the food that we eat. These cells also contain substances such as histamine that are released when the antibodies once again come into contact with the food allergen.

It is the histamine and the other chemicals that cause the allergic reaction resulting in such symptoms as swelling of the skin, itchiness, hives, and itchy eyes. The gastrointestinal tract may respond with vomiting, cramps, diarrhoea and nausea as attempts to remove the allergen. Symptoms in the respiratory tract may include runny nose, coughing, and sneezing. In severe cases anaphylactic shock and death may result.This is essentially a situation where the body’s immune system goes completely overboard trying to save itself from the allergen and the side-effects of its efforts kill it instead.

Ninety percent of allergens found in food are proteins derived from milk, eggs, seafood, wheat, soy protein and nuts (particularly peanuts). Additives such as sulphites used as preservatives can also cause allergic reactions. It may be possible to self-diagnose and to avoid certain foods, though in more complex cases it may be necessary to consult a dietician, food allergist or physician to ensure that a proper diet is followed, avoiding deficiencies in protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

TERMINOLOGY

Food has a language all of its own.

You must learn this language if you are to communicate in this field.

In some lessons you will be given several terms. These may or may not be new to you.

If the terms are new; you should try to find out their meaning using a dictionary or any other means you have at hand. If you have difficulty still; you should ask for help; in which case the tutor will provide you with a definition to learn.

WHAT WILL THIS COURSE DO FOR YOU?

To be successful in Food and Nutrition, you need passion, persistence and a willingness to do what it takes to succeed. If this describes you, we can help you to get a start!

This course is different to many others; it is an "experiential based" learning program, designed to get you involved with the Food and Nutrition industry as you study. The industry is changing faster than ever and will continue to change. For ongoing success, you need to become "connected" and remain "connected", so that you see and adapt to recent changes and ongoing changes as your career moves forward.

With the strong foundation gained throughout this course, you will have a great standing for a successful career in Food and Nutrition.

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Karen Lee

Nutritional Scientist, Dietician, Teacher and Author.
BSc. Hons. (Biological Sciences), Postgraduate Diploma Nutrition and Dietetics.
Registered dietitian in the UK, with over 15 years working in the NHS. Karen has undertaken a number of research projec

Lyn Quirk

M.Prof.Ed.; Adv.Dip.Compl.Med (Naturopathy); Adv.Dip.Sports Therapy
Over 30 years as Health Club Manager, Fitness Professional, Teacher, Coach and Business manager in health, fitness and leisure industries. As business owner and former department head fo

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